Lynyrd Skynyrd, Bad Company & Blackberry Smoke

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Lynyrd Skynyrd:
Lynyrd Skynyrd has endured, despite all odds, through death and disaster, as the signature rock group of America's working people. It is no accident that any popular contemporary band that uses electric guitars owes a huge debt to Skynyrd, a debt almost always freely acknowledged. Musicians as diverse as Kid Rock, Metallica and Travis Tritt pledge allegiance to the Skynyrd sound, and a new wave of hard rocking youngsters values Lynyrd Skynyrd above all else.

Skynyrd's ability to constantly rekindle its creative fires following tragedy is a testament to the indomitable spirit that has surrounded the band since its inception, and has largely defined Lynyrd Skynyrd over the years. The legendary singer/songwriter Ronnie Van Zant, guitarist Steve Gaines and vocalist Cassie Gaines died in the infamous 1977 plane crash that ended the band's initial run. Guitarist Allen Collins survived the plane crash only to suffer paralysis and, eventually, death in a tragic car accident. And most recently the band lost bassist Leon Wilkeson, who died during the making of Vicious Cycle. Yet once again Lynyrd Skynyrd found the determination to continue working as well as a way to perpetuate its greatness, and Vicious Cycle may well be the greatest Skynyrd album since the band's classic lineup."It's been a long time comin'," philosophized Ronnie's younger brother, Johnny Van Zant of Lynyrd Skynyrd's latest offering.

Having taken over the duty of lead vocalist in 1987, Johnny has grown into the role of fronting the band so well that Lynyrd Skynyrd has truly become the central part of his identity. "We've hit on a combination of old style Skynyrd, with new style Skynyrd, with commercial Skynyrd," Johnny said with a laugh. "We've got that hard rockin' country thing going full blast on this one."Lynyrd Skynyrd has always been an arsenal of determination, articulation, personality and, above all else, guitar prowess. With Gary Rossington, one of the greatest guitarists in rock history, Lynyrd Skynyrd's stellar guitar lineup also features Blackfoot's Rickey Medlocke. Keyboardist Billy Powell contributes melodic touches that add a stark beauty to the band's sound. Drummer Michael Cartellone gives the rhythm section a thunderous kick.

Though Leon Wilkeson’s passing in July 2001 of natural causes was tragic and untimely, it is one element that furthers the meaning of the album’s title. Wilkeson was known for his huge sound and the outlandish collection of hats he wore on stage. “Mad Hatter" is the band's tribute to its fallen member."That's about brother Leon," singer Johnny Van Zant explained. "God broke the mold when he built him. He survived the plane crash and we always used to kid him, called him the Mad Hatter and the Cat in the Hat because he had nine lives." 4Wilkeson had recorded a couple of tracks, “Lucky Man” and The Way,” for the album before he passed, and Skynyrd fans had heard him play the latter and “Funked Up” in live performance."We've done “Funked Up” and “The Way” live and they both got a great response," Johnny noted. "The people really loved “The Way.” They were coming up to us and saying they can't wait to hear it on record. The eerie thing is that the song talks about passing on to the other side and how things are so screwed up in general and it was the last song Leon played on.”

The band completed Vicious Cycle with Ean Evans, on bass."Ean's a trouper," said Johnny. "He and Leon were good friends. Leon had a few problems toward the end and Ean would fill in for him when he couldn't make the gigs. Ean's one of us. He's from Mississippi. He's a talented guy and a great person. God bless Leon, he's gone now but he would have wanted us to keep going and we will." Having come full circle through all the hardships -- death, illness, departure, disagreements, exhaustion -- that Lynyrd Skynyrd knows so well, they channeled their life experiences into powerful and emotive songs for this aptly named album. "Life's Lessons" offers pointed advice about self-assuredness and hindsight. "...You think you know it all/but you're heading for a fall/to make it back again/you'll have to crawl....when we look back and see what we've done will we be proud or ashamed....is this another life's lesson too late?" sings Johnny on the song.

On the flip side, not only does the band express the uncertainty of the cards life may deal a person, but also Lynyrd Skynyrd addresses free will in "Hell or Heaven.” Johnny noted, “You can choose your own hell, or heaven on earth. That hell could be drugs or it could be being married to the wrong woman or whatever. If you lay with dogs you're gonna get fleas." From "Sweet Home Alabama" to "Saturday Night Special," Skynyrd always has been known for tackling controversial subjects head on, and the fierce "Dead Man Walking" is squarely in that tradition."We just love that groove," said Johnny. "It's old Skynyrd with new heavy guitars. Gary is just ripping on that one. It's about somebody doing a kid wrong, the parents finding out and avenging it with vigilante justice. It's hard to say you wouldn't do the same thing if you were in their place."Similarly, "Jake" tells a story of a father's white-hot anger after catching his daughter and her beau in the throes of passion. The couple runs, but the angered, gun-waiving father catches up to the couple and fires the gun. Indeed someone dies, but it is the father, not Jake.

Another hot point addressed on Vicious Cycle is the brewing hostility between the U.S. and the Middle East: "Got our heads stuck in something overseas/Standin' ass deep in hypocrisy," read the lyrics on "The Way." Not only focusing on tragedy and controversy, Lynyrd Skynyrd also draws on their blue collar roots for musical inspiration. They've always been known as one of the hardest working bands in history, having exploded onto the scene in the 1970’s and playing approximately 300 dates each year. Lynyrd Skynyrd doesn't know how to take it easy -- through any and all lumps life has offered Lynyrd Skynyrd, they have not given up or even slowed down.

3Few bands have made as spectacular an entrance as did Skynyrd in 1973, and aside from their music, another distinguishing factor was Skynyrd's audience. While virtually all of the band's contemporaries were writing to a suburban people, Lynyrd Skynyrd fiercely promoted the values of its heritage, the values of America's workers. The band's hometown of Jacksonville truly was a blue collar town, and Ronnie, Donnie and Johnny Van Zant learned the value of hard work from family patriarch Lacy Van Zant. Ronnie was a master at articulating these values in Skynyrd's songs and Johnny has grown into the role so well that he's actually brought the group to another level.

The new album is packed with working class anthems like "That's How I like It," "Pick'em Up," and "Sweet Mama.""Our fans are country folks, they like the basics," Johnny explained. "They're not afraid of dirt, they know how to work with their hands. If you've got a good car and a good woman you can be happy. Life has gotten so complicated that a lot of people have lost sight of the fact that the simple things are the best things. We came from a basic family. Our father was a working man. Our mother was a housewife. We didn't live the high life. Sure, these days we buy our own cars, but we still live a basic life."

Johnny and Donnie collaborated on a powerful tribute to the family's roots with "Red, White & Blue," an unapologetic celebration of the American working class. "My hair's turning white, my neck's always been red, my collar's still blue," goes the chorus. In a wonderful nod to Merle Haggard that Ronnie would have loved, the boys pay tribute to their parents. "I've driven by the White House, but spent some time in jail/My momma cried, but still wouldn't pay my bail."Skynyrd has always managed to balance its kickass party anthems with messages that offer solace against life's troubles and hope for a better future. "The Way" touches on an inspirational theme that ranks with one of the band's most enduring songs, "Free Bird."Music has always carried Lynyrd Skynyrd through life's cycles, and the band aims for their album Vicious Cycle to reflect that and to do so for others as well.

"I hope we can help some people through their bad times with our music," said Johnny. "That's what music's all about anyway. Music has brought me through some really dark times in my life and I hope this record can bring some other people through their bad times."

Blackberry Smoke:
We don't pull any punches about calling this Southern rock because that's what it is," says Blackberry Smoke frontman Charlie Starr. "It's what we think new Southern rock should sound like." Starr, guitarist Paul Jackson, bassist Richard Turner and drummer Brit Turner are indeed sons of the South, but their considerable chops recall The Swanee River Boys and The Stanley Brothers as well as Lynyrd Skynyrd and The Allman Brothers.

"We love all kinds of music - our CD collection in the van is extremely diverse," Charlie continues. "You can hear a bluegrass influence on our harmonies. We all grew up listening to that kind of music, and I started singing in church, so I think a little gospel flavor filters through, too. We like to mix it up and take some chances."

Still, discerning ears will detect a strain of Bon Scott in Charlie's upper register. "Our music is probably harder driving than what you'd call classic Southern rock," he concedes, "especially in the guitar and drum sounds." In fact, this ain't no gospel, this ain't no bluegrass, this ain't no fooling around: Blackberry Smoke is balls-out rock and roll.

The response of fans to the live performances on Bad Luck Ain't No Crime, the band's debut disc, is thrilling confirmation of that. Studio tracks "Testify" and "Sanctified Woman" may be attracting the most attention at rock radio, but these rough-and-ready versions of originals "Scare The Devil" and "Muscadine" and the standard "Freeborn Man" may better capture the essence of Blackberry Smoke.

"We recorded those during the motorcycle rally in Sturgis [South Dakota], at The Full Throttle Saloon," Charlie informs. "We took an RV, parked it behind the stage and just lived there for a week. We opened for everyone who came through. It's outdoors and the weather was beautiful. There's no charge to get in and lots of booze flowing. What that audience sounded like - we couldn't have asked for better live recordings. Technically, there are some warts, but the energy was so high that we didn't care. We aren't brain surgeons - it ain't pretty sometimes, but it sure does feel good."

Even when Charlie's singing about hard times, there is joy in the music. You can't help thinking that he, Paul, Richard and Brit were born to play together.

The road to Blackberry Smoke winds through Lanett, Alabama, where Charlie was raised, LaGrange, Georgia, where he met Paul, and Atlanta, longtime stomping grounds to brothers Richard and Brit. Growing up in Lanett, a textile mill town ringed by fields of corn, peas and butterbeans, Charlie began his training as a singer before he could talk. His mother's uncle is Bluegrass Hall Of Famer Buford Abner, lead singer for the aforementioned Swanee River Boys; great uncle Merle Abner sang bass.

"My dad has played guitar and sung bluegrass my whole life," Charlie adds. "I spent a lot of years going to bluegrass festivals. Every weekend we'd drive to Virginia or Kentucky. It was a fun thing to do. When I got to be a teenager, I said, ?I don't want to play this kind of music; I want to play "Smoke On The Water."' But after a while, I think you always come back to whatever sparked your interest in music in the first place."

He vividly remembers his mother singing along to the radio, with The Rolling Stones, The Faces, The Beatles and Bob Dylan among her favorites. He notes that his own idols range more toward Hank Williams - of whom he says, "I don't think a better songwriter has ever walked the earth" - and Steve Earle, but the Bad Luck Ain't No Crime track "Normaltown" is indisputably reminiscent of the Beatles' psychedelic awakening.

Charlie recollects: "When I was growing up, we'd all sit around the piano singing, and I'd grab my dad's guitar every time someone put it down. About the time I turned six, I guess he figured he'd better get me one before I broke his."

The boy learned how to play on his own after a few lessons from Dad. He graduated to the electric guitar in his teen years. By then Charlie was getting into the Allmans, Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker, Molly Hatchet, Blackfoot and 38 Special, whose material he calls "a little more pop, riding-around-in-your-Camaro stuff."

He naturally gravitated toward other rock musicians. "Paul and I have been buddies for a long time," he says. "He's always been a great guitar player. We'd go down to Atlanta to see bands. There's a couple of late-night watering holes where musicians would convene after concerts, and that's where we got to know Brit and Richard. We kept saying we should all jam and when we finally did, there it was; the band just kind of fell together."

Blackberry Smoke's creative approach remains a collaborative one. "Sometimes I'll come in with a basic idea, just play some chords and a melody on an acoustic and a song will grow from that," Charlie explains. "But most of the time I'll write with Paul - we live within 15 minutes of each other - or we'll be in rehearsal and just start jamming on something and magic will happen."

The band members have a similarly easygoing, give-and-take personal rapport. Charlie says he knows it's a clich', but he nonetheless attests: "We're like a little family, like four brothers. We all just get along really well. We've all been in cover bands, and in every cover band there's somebody ya hate. There's nobody in this band like that ? unless I'm the guy and they haven't told me! We could never stay on the road for 40 days if we weren't laughing and having a good time. All our dads were in the service and they taught us respect for other people. Hell, Brit and Richard's dad is a retired Air Force colonel; they really walked the line."

During their travels, the Blackberry Smoke boys have headlined all over the U.S. and opened for a slew of rock acts. The band got their name from another likeminded artist, former Black Crowes singer-songwriter Chris Robinson.